0:00:01.262,0:00:03.780 I've got to start by[br]admitting that, in many ways, 0:00:03.780,0:00:06.560 me giving a talk about how climate action 0:00:06.560,0:00:10.120 can help black communities is surprising. 0:00:10.120,0:00:13.830 I grew up poor and black with[br]a single mother in Tottenham, 0:00:13.830,0:00:15.840 one of the most deprived areas in London 0:00:15.840,0:00:18.360 in the 1970s and '80s. 0:00:18.360,0:00:20.980 Climate change was the[br]last thing on my mind. 0:00:20.980,0:00:23.970 And representing Tottenham[br]as its member of Parliament 0:00:23.970,0:00:27.850 for the past 20 years, my focus[br]has been on trying to reduce 0:00:27.850,0:00:30.270 the deprivation I grew up around. 0:00:30.270,0:00:32.620 In the past, the climate[br]crisis never featured 0:00:32.620,0:00:34.510 at the forefront of my politics 0:00:34.510,0:00:36.930 because it was never one of[br]the most immediate challenges 0:00:36.930,0:00:38.880 my constituents were facing, 0:00:38.880,0:00:41.230 or at least it didn't feel like it. 0:00:41.230,0:00:43.260 Rising sea levels feel unimportant 0:00:43.260,0:00:45.560 when your bank balance is falling. 0:00:45.560,0:00:47.390 Global warming is not your concern 0:00:47.390,0:00:49.660 when you can't pay the heating bills. 0:00:49.660,0:00:51.710 And you're not thinking about pollution 0:00:51.710,0:00:54.020 when you're being stopped by the police. 0:00:54.020,0:00:55.930 And so, perhaps this is why, 0:00:55.930,0:00:59.610 as the Black Lives Matter[br]movement roared across the world, 0:00:59.610,0:01:02.820 there's been so little[br]mention of saving black lives 0:01:02.820,0:01:04.870 from the climate emergency. 0:01:04.870,0:01:07.700 For too long, those of us who[br]cared about racial justice 0:01:07.700,0:01:11.200 treated environmental justice[br]as though it was elitist. 0:01:11.200,0:01:12.620 And at the same time, 0:01:12.620,0:01:15.210 the leaders who did[br]focus on climate change 0:01:15.210,0:01:19.860 were usually white and rarely[br]bothered to enlist the support 0:01:19.860,0:01:22.450 of black voices in their work. 0:01:22.450,0:01:26.300 Even progressive allies sometimes[br]took our votes for granted 0:01:26.300,0:01:29.100 and assumed that our community didn't care 0:01:29.100,0:01:30.750 or wouldn't understand. 0:01:30.750,0:01:34.350 The truth is the opposite is true. 0:01:34.350,0:01:37.540 Black people breathe in the most toxic air 0:01:37.540,0:01:40.330 relative to the general population. 0:01:40.330,0:01:43.380 We are more likely to suffer[br]from respiratory diseases 0:01:43.380,0:01:44.770 like asthma. 0:01:44.770,0:01:46.760 And it is people of color 0:01:46.760,0:01:50.930 who are more likely to[br]suffer in the climate crisis. 0:01:50.930,0:01:53.660 This is no coincidence. 0:01:53.660,0:01:57.240 The cheapest housing tends to[br]be next to the busiest roads 0:01:57.240,0:01:59.370 and many of the lowest paid jobs 0:01:59.370,0:02:01.870 are in the most polluting industries. 0:02:01.870,0:02:05.270 People of color consistently[br]lie at the bottom 0:02:05.270,0:02:08.800 of the housing, educational,[br]and employment ladders. 0:02:08.800,0:02:12.720 This story connects black[br]communities across the world, 0:02:12.720,0:02:15.840 from London to Lagos to LA. 0:02:15.840,0:02:20.410 Black Americans are exposed[br]to 56% more pollution 0:02:20.410,0:02:21.790 than they cause. 0:02:21.790,0:02:26.140 White Americans breathe[br]17% less air pollution 0:02:26.140,0:02:27.840 than they produce. 0:02:27.840,0:02:30.340 It gives a whole new meaning 0:02:30.340,0:02:34.560 to the Black Lives Matter[br]slogan, "I can't breathe." 0:02:34.560,0:02:37.890 We all rightly know the[br]name of George Floyd, 0:02:37.890,0:02:40.520 who was murdered by the police. 0:02:40.520,0:02:44.480 But we should also know the[br]name of Ella Kissi-Debrah. 0:02:44.480,0:02:48.610 Ella, a nine-year-old mixed-race[br]girl from Southeast London, 0:02:48.610,0:02:52.400 was killed by a fatal asthma attack. 0:02:52.400,0:02:54.950 Evidence suggests this was caused partly 0:02:54.950,0:02:59.480 by the unlawful levels of[br]air pollution near her home. 0:02:59.480,0:03:02.570 And it's not only urban[br]areas where black lives 0:03:02.570,0:03:06.083 are disproportionately under[br]threat from climate change. 0:03:06.920,0:03:09.840 My parents' home country of Guyana 0:03:09.840,0:03:12.440 is one of the most[br]vulnerable countries on Earth 0:03:12.440,0:03:15.070 to the effects of climate change. 0:03:15.070,0:03:18.070 So far, Guyana has[br]contributed relatively little 0:03:18.070,0:03:21.180 to the climate emergency,[br]but it's one of the countries 0:03:21.180,0:03:24.370 facing the most serious threats from it. 0:03:24.370,0:03:27.210 While the annual carbon[br]dioxide emissions per head 0:03:27.210,0:03:32.210 in the United States is a[br]staggering 16.5 metric tons, 0:03:32.570,0:03:34.013 in Guyana it's just 2.6. 0:03:35.260,0:03:38.690 It is a pattern repeated across the globe. 0:03:38.690,0:03:41.200 Those countries that[br]have contributed least 0:03:41.200,0:03:44.860 to the climate breakdown,[br]mainly in the global south, 0:03:44.860,0:03:46.860 will suffer the most from floods, 0:03:46.860,0:03:49.500 droughts, and rising temperatures. 0:03:49.500,0:03:53.890 This is a pattern of[br]suffering with a long history. 0:03:53.890,0:03:57.240 The exploitation of our[br]planet's natural resources 0:03:57.240,0:04:01.960 has always been tied to the[br]exploitation of people of color. 0:04:01.960,0:04:05.910 The logic of colonization was[br]to extract valuable resources 0:04:05.910,0:04:07.870 from our planet through force, 0:04:07.870,0:04:11.030 paying no attention to[br]its secondary effects. 0:04:11.030,0:04:13.920 The climate crisis is, in a way, 0:04:13.920,0:04:17.360 colonialism's natural conclusion. 0:04:17.360,0:04:20.120 The solution is to build a new coalition 0:04:20.120,0:04:24.550 made up of all the groups most[br]affected by this emergency: 0:04:24.550,0:04:26.700 black people in American cities 0:04:26.700,0:04:29.740 who are already protesting[br]that they cannot breathe, 0:04:29.740,0:04:32.990 people of color in Guyana[br]watching sea levels rise 0:04:32.990,0:04:36.650 to the point where many of their[br]homes become uninhabitable, 0:04:36.650,0:04:39.330 young people in places[br]like Tottenham, London, 0:04:39.330,0:04:42.300 afraid of the world that[br]they will grow old in, 0:04:42.300,0:04:44.860 and progressive allies from all nations, 0:04:44.860,0:04:48.380 of all races, religions,[br]creeds, and ages on their side, 0:04:48.380,0:04:51.760 all demanding recognition[br]that climate justice 0:04:51.760,0:04:54.810 is linked to racial[br]justice, social justice, 0:04:54.810,0:04:57.350 and intergenerational justice too. 0:04:57.350,0:04:59.580 And let me say something[br]about how we build 0:04:59.580,0:05:02.670 this new movement and[br]what it must look like. 0:05:02.670,0:05:06.790 First, we need a recognition[br]that the climate movement 0:05:06.790,0:05:09.130 is not only about protecting the planet. 0:05:09.130,0:05:11.770 It is primarily about caring 0:05:11.770,0:05:14.800 for the people who live on the planet. 0:05:14.800,0:05:17.300 Globally as well as nationally, 0:05:17.300,0:05:21.810 we need to recognize structural[br]imbalances and inequalities. 0:05:21.810,0:05:23.810 A radical green recovery plan 0:05:23.810,0:05:25.940 should provide jobs to the people 0:05:25.940,0:05:28.670 who've been disenfranchised for centuries, 0:05:28.670,0:05:32.000 new jobs planting trees,[br]insulating buildings, 0:05:32.000,0:05:34.350 and working on green technologies. 0:05:34.350,0:05:37.090 We cannot tackle the climate crisis 0:05:37.090,0:05:40.100 without addressing racial inequalities. 0:05:40.100,0:05:42.440 And we cannot solve racial inequalities 0:05:42.440,0:05:45.080 without fixing the economic system. 0:05:45.080,0:05:48.420 The new deal the economy[br]needs is not only green, 0:05:48.420,0:05:50.630 it's green and black. 0:05:50.630,0:05:54.830 Second, we need more black leaders. 0:05:54.830,0:05:58.490 It cannot be right in 2020 0:05:58.490,0:06:01.990 that almost all the leading[br]climate change activists 0:06:01.990,0:06:03.980 we recognize are white. 0:06:03.980,0:06:08.010 At Davos this year, five[br]young female members 0:06:08.010,0:06:10.200 of the Fridays for Future movement 0:06:10.200,0:06:12.600 came together to give a press conference 0:06:12.600,0:06:14.710 at the World Economic Forum. 0:06:14.710,0:06:17.717 This is a picture the[br]Associated Press put out. 0:06:19.988,0:06:22.623 Here is the original image. 0:06:23.800,0:06:26.540 As the Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate 0:06:26.540,0:06:28.307 herself put it afterwards, 0:06:28.307,0:06:32.900 "You didn't just erase a[br]photo, you erased a continent." 0:06:32.900,0:06:35.720 We need to look at who[br]is being cropped out 0:06:35.720,0:06:39.630 of leadership positions in[br]environmental organizations too. 0:06:39.630,0:06:43.070 People of color makeup around 40% 0:06:43.070,0:06:45.290 of the United States population. 0:06:45.290,0:06:48.610 So, why is it a University[br]of Michigan study 0:06:48.610,0:06:50.870 found that the percentage of minorities 0:06:50.870,0:06:54.470 in leadership positions in US[br]environmental organizations 0:06:54.470,0:06:56.530 is less than 12%? 0:06:56.530,0:06:58.430 Global organizations should consider 0:06:58.430,0:07:01.320 moving their headquarters[br]to the global south 0:07:01.320,0:07:03.780 and urban areas that are most affected 0:07:03.780,0:07:05.740 by the climate emergency. 0:07:05.740,0:07:07.500 There should be new scholarships 0:07:07.500,0:07:11.750 and bursaries in environmental[br]science for people of color. 0:07:11.750,0:07:13.210 Educate yourself. 0:07:13.210,0:07:15.790 Join great movements[br]that recognize the links 0:07:15.790,0:07:17.900 between climate and race. 0:07:17.900,0:07:20.610 To name a few, the Black[br]Environment Network 0:07:20.610,0:07:22.170 and Wretched of the Earth. 0:07:22.170,0:07:25.950 And finally, racial injustice[br]and climate injustice 0:07:25.950,0:07:28.730 are both rooted in the evil notion 0:07:28.730,0:07:32.410 that some lives are more[br]important than others. 0:07:32.410,0:07:35.160 If you march to say Black Lives Matter 0:07:35.160,0:07:37.130 in Minneapolis, London, or Sydney, 0:07:37.130,0:07:39.560 please also march for the black lives 0:07:39.560,0:07:41.500 on the Caribbean island of Haiti 0:07:41.500,0:07:44.040 as its children are displaced by storms. 0:07:44.040,0:07:48.120 Please also march for the black[br]lives being lost in Darfur, 0:07:48.120,0:07:50.530 the first climate change conflict. 0:07:50.530,0:07:53.530 And please also march[br]for the indigenous people 0:07:53.530,0:07:55.330 of the Amazon rainforest 0:07:55.330,0:07:57.820 as Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro 0:07:57.820,0:07:59.820 weakens its protections. 0:07:59.820,0:08:02.810 If we are serious about[br]protecting black lives 0:08:02.810,0:08:05.200 in the global south as well as the north, 0:08:05.200,0:08:08.290 we need to strengthen international laws. 0:08:08.290,0:08:11.660 We need a way to apply[br]international criminal laws 0:08:11.660,0:08:15.690 like war crimes or crimes[br]against humanity to the planet. 0:08:15.690,0:08:18.610 We need a new international law of ecocide 0:08:18.610,0:08:20.300 to criminalize the willful 0:08:20.300,0:08:23.270 and widespread destruction[br]of the environment, 0:08:23.270,0:08:26.050 a law that criminalizes[br]the most severe crimes 0:08:26.050,0:08:27.880 against nature itself, 0:08:27.880,0:08:31.930 even for acts don't involve[br]direct human suffering. 0:08:31.930,0:08:34.310 Economics, race, and class 0:08:34.310,0:08:38.040 are at the center of[br]today's political struggles. 0:08:38.040,0:08:39.640 The Black Lives Matter movement 0:08:39.640,0:08:42.840 needs to wake up to climate injustices 0:08:42.840,0:08:45.800 just as the climate movement[br]must make every effort 0:08:45.800,0:08:48.750 to include the reality of people of color. 0:08:48.750,0:08:50.840 Young black boys growing up 0:08:50.840,0:08:53.180 in single-parent households in Tottenham 0:08:53.180,0:08:55.340 won't have the opportunities I had 0:08:55.340,0:08:58.080 in a world ravaged by climate chaos. 0:08:58.080,0:09:01.560 My distant cousins and[br]relatives growing up in Guyana 0:09:01.560,0:09:04.883 won't have a future if their[br]homes are drowning underwater. 0:09:05.840,0:09:09.660 Now is the time for black[br]and climate movements 0:09:09.660,0:09:13.797 to come together unequivocally[br]and say, "We can't breathe." 0:09:14.790,0:09:15.790 Thank you very much.